RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Seedbed Root Pruner

It has been the practice at the Chittenden Nursery to root prune any seedlings being carried over for the third year in the seedbeds. This, for the most part, has been red pine stock. The usual practice in root pruning has been to run a pruning blade under the bed at a depth of 5 to 6 inches thus cutting off all of the vertical roots extending to that depth. This has resulted in the development of a fairly well balanced seedling, but it was believed that if some of the side roots could be pruned, a better root system and a better top-root ratio would be obtained. Examination of the seedlings after they had been root pruned on the bottom showed that only about 20% of the roots were vertical roots and had been pruned.


Download this file:

PDF document Download this file — PDF document, 49Kb

Details

Author(s): Edward D. Clifford

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Issue 24 (1956)